The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-02-24
THE HUMANE CAUSE.
An interesting Paper on Humane Work In
M At Canton. 8nigr
Read by Superintendent Frazer at tho Ly
ceum--C Cases Of Good Work Cited
Review Of the Good Accom-
9T plished In this city. 9a.

rOllOWlnR lS Gne paper OH 1no WVIh
| Of the Canton Humane Society" read by
Superintendent Frazer, at the Lycebm
Friday night: d8 ,44e1
Nothing appeals so fOTcibly to the
sensibilitles OF the humane as injustice
or cruel y inflicted upon those who are
| incapable Of defense. 1t is the unanl-
| nous verdict of jurists that no crime is
IgmOFe deserving of swift and righteous
Judgment than cruelty toward very
| young children, whose innocence snd
utter defsnHelessness constitute their
suTest protection, except in the minds
of the most depraVed. The entire help
le6sness OF q child exposed to such
fabuse is most piteOUs. IL has been ush
cred into q world Of whose ways II
knOws nothing. It has no voice that
can penetrate other ears than thbse
within Its home; no consciousness Of the
existence Of kind-hearted and sympa
thetic persons, and no power to do any
thing but suffer. Help may be within
Its reach; but II does not know the fact,
and so 1t submits, In blind, enduring
agony, to the misery which crushes anu
consumes Its life. VI ." y t'f
The person who thus persecutes q
child is a monster. The Innocence and
purity which charm other persons, and
which 10 declared to be the model upon
which the mOst perfect character should
be formed, have no influence upon such
a person; they perceive only the weak
ness which makes tyranny easy and
safe, and so they fill with terror and de-
spair the years that should be full Of Joy
and gayety.,----i. i1 .s
The Humane Society affords an i'm.
portant channel for the exercise Of this
beneVOlence toward children. 1t is the
pl lOVince Of the Society to receive and
carefully investigate cases Of cruelty or
neglect Of children. 1t is no part Of our
duty to interfere between parent aud
child; only when relations Of authority
and trust have been grossly violated to
make that appeal to courts of law which
the subjects of its compassion are too
young and helpless to make for them
selves.
This field Of labor, In which l have
worked five years is, In many respects,
q peculiar and delicate one. During all
that time less than q dozen arrests were
made for cruelty to children, nOtwith
standing have placed nearly hundred
children In new homes, many Of them
being taken fOrcibly.
The great secret Of the humane work
is embraced in the meaning of the WORD
humanity. A simple caution, a proffer
of assistance, a kind word spoken, reme-
dies many abuses and leads to the for
nation of public opinion which noise
lessly and In secret steals through the
populace, and by Its invisible power
has more potence In reDreesing the vice
we cOndemn-aye, tenfOld more p0tence
than all the engines Of the law. In
this manner the Society has been exercis-
ing though quietly, powerful influence,
preventing, at the same time, both crime
and cruelty without resOrting to pub
lie prosecution. tss
Some Of my every day work Is given
which illustrates the various cases In
Vestigsted.
Case No. 7O3-Mary -, girl twelve
years of age, found wandering about the
city, thinly clad and nearly frozen. She
ran away from home fearing a beating
from her mother, because she refused to
steal. The child was taken and Q good
home secured for her.
Case No. 722-John c., aged ten
years, was allowed to remain on the
street late at night with bad company
older than himself. They encouraged
him to steal which he did. The boy was
sent to the Reform school. ssa.s:.s: sss.--a. 81
Case No. 728-A girl Of Ill repute with
4 baby one year old, was In the habit OF
attending dances, ETC., taking the child
along with her and remaining out un-
iii nearly morning. The child was
taken and placed In the Falrmont
Children's Home, at Mt, Union.
Case No. 801-Three children taken
from their mother who kept q house Of
III repute. Children sent to their father,
who left his wife on account OF her con-
Case No. SO9-Three children left
homeless by the death Of their father
and neglected by the mother were taken
and good homes furnished them. T.,
Case No. 849-Laura and Ella ~,
aged nine and eleven, were taken from
their parents and provided with homes
the mother beingl insane and the father
a worthless character. ,ls
Case No. S9S-John -, arrested for
beating in most Outrageous manner his
little boy, aged twelve years, because he
refused to 60 up street late one evening.
he was fined.
The total number Of cases of cruelty
to children Investigated during the past
ear was one hundred and eighty seven,
all of which received by personal atten- |
tiOn. During the same period placed |
twenty-six chlldlen In institutions,
homes and with families. During the
year two hundred and sixty'nine cases |
Of.eruelty to animals were investigated.
But very few arrests were made as am |
strong In the belief that the great prac-
ticsl method Of promoting the humane
cause should be by education rather than |
by prosecution, unless 1t be an aggrR-
waited offence, where brutal instincts |
and vicious disposition prevail.
The Society has great reason to be en-
e0uraged. We have, fortunately, very
few, perhaps may say, no enemies, and
we have the approval Of every good man
and woman In Canton.